British Court Rules Against Sanctions on Iranian Bank

Britain’s Supreme Court ruled that sanctions imposed on a commercial Iranian bank were invalid because the British Treasury had sought them improperly through a secret court proceeding in a misuse of Britain’s antiterrorism laws. The decision raised new questions about the country’s secret courts and was a vindication for the Iranian bank, Bank Mellat, which had spent four years fighting the sanctions designation that had banned it from operating in Britain. In Washington, the Treasury Department sharply criticized the British ruling and warned that Bank Mellat, which has been accused of financing Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile activities, remained under sanction by both the European Union and the United States. A Treasury Department statement said Bank Mellat “has no place in the international financial system.”

A version of this brief appears in print on June 20, 2013, on page A10 of the New York edition with the headline: British Court Rules Against Sanctions on Iranian Bank. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe